Getting An Elephant Massage In Thailand Might Not Be A Good Idea

While on vacation in Phuket (Thailand), a husband and wife were introduced to elephants Lucky (age 3) and Lily (age 4). These elephants were fortunate enough to have been rescued from poachers and now live in an orphanage next to the hotel. Their keepers take them for walks along the beach every day, allowing them to mingle with kids and other vacationers. In this clip we find Lucky and Lily giving the most hilarious massage you will ever see! And for only the price of a handful of fruit!Show more

Videos like this one have been circling the Net for quite some time. There are even videos of elephants playing instruments to the delight of tourists in Thailand. But there is a more grim backstory to this attraction that they lead on.

Their handlers claim that the animals have been rescued from dire situations, however, there has been a research that says the elephants are usually removed from their mothers young, which in turn leaves them broken and dispirited, enough for the handlers to train them easily for feats like this one. It is called “training crush”, or “elephant crush”. Every elephant that that is engaged in some kind of tourist activity, even elephant rides, has been subject to such a treatment, designed to make the gentle giants obedient.

If you truly care for these animals, it is best that you avoid these attractions altogether, especially if you are visiting Thailand and other Asian countries. That does not mean that you can miss out on seeing these majestic animals up close. There are plenty of sanctuaries in northern Thailand that rescue these animals, where you get to merely observe them at their own pace.